Farewell, Dennis Weaver

I'm very sad to report our third celebrity death in two days.  Actor Dennis Weaver died this weekend from complications due to cancer.  The actor was 81 years old.

Just like actors Don Knotts and Darren McGavin who passed away this same weekend, Dennis Weaver also shared in the success of being well known for playing two different characters during their television careers.  Weaver was known for playing the slow-witted deputy Chester Goode in the TV classic western "Gunsmoke" and the New Mexico deputy transplanted to New York CIty in "McCloud."

Weaver was a struggling actor in Hollywood, earning $60 a week in 1955 delivering flowers when he was offered $300 a week for a rols in a new CBS television series, "Gunsmoke."  By the end of his nine years with "Gunsmoke," he was earning $9,000 a week.  The role of deputy Chester earned him an Emmy award in 1959. 

In 1966, Weaver starred with a 600-pound black bear in the series "Gentle Ben," one of my favorite shows as a kid. I especially liked when Weaver's character would drive one of those cool air boats through the Everglades.  The show was well-liked by the viewers, but after two seasons CBS decided it needed more adult entertainment and cancelled it. 

After "Gentle Ben," Weaver went on to star in another highly successful series, "McCloud."  He played the character Sam McCloud, a deputy marshall from New Mexico who is assigned to the NYPD to study their police methods.  His wild west tactics, such as riding his horse through Manhattan traffic and wearing his Stetson and very cool sheepskin coat, drove the NYPD crazy,  but McCloud always solved the case.  Instead of gloating to the NYPD, he would always say "there ya go."

Weaver also was an activist for protecting the environment and fighting world hunger.  He served as president of Love Is Feeding Everyone (LIFE), which fed 150,000 needy people a week in Los Angeles County.  He founded the Institue of Ecolonomics, which sought solutions to economic and environmental problems, and he spoke at the United Nations and Congress about fighting pollution and starvation.  Dennis and his wife Gerry even built a solar-powered home in Colorado, made out of recycled tires and cans. 

Mullet Watch

The latest mullet sighting is brought to us by my friend SDF.  She spotted this mullet at church.  This is another first for Mullet Watch - our first sighting at church. Here's the story, in her own words:

I had a laugh out loud moment in church yesterday as I spotted a mullet.  Joe and I were sitting in the balcony and this "older guy" guy was sitting below us on the main floor.  His mullet was full grey and the most interesting part was that he had the top of it obviously moussed/gelled and teased so that it was sticking straight up.  He was otherwise dressed decenlty--khaki pants and a long sleeved dress shirt.

Mullet count: 15

Editor's note:  I'm kinda bummed that I haven't received any reports of mullet sightings at this weekend's Carl Casper's Custom Auto Show.  Maybe next year.

Farewell, Darren McGavin

I'm sad to report another celebrity death this weekend - actor Darren McGavin has died.  He was 83 years old.  Reports say he died of natural causes. 

McGavin starred in the television series "Mike Hammer" and "Kolchak - the Night Stalker" but is probably more well known for his role as Ralphie's dad in the holiday classic "A Christmas Story."   In "Kolchak - the Night Stalker", McGavin played a reporter who investigated supernatural occurances.  "Kolchak" was the inspiration for the hit series (and one of my all-time favorite shows) "The X-Files", and because of this, McGavin was asked to play the role of Arthur Dales, the man who started the X-Files.  McGavin appeared in three episodes of the show. 

I loved watching "Kolchak" with my Grandpa when I was little.  I was pretty brave, and didn't scare too easily from things on TV and movies, but just in case I would always sit in the floor next to Grandpa's chair while we watched it. (I thought I'd better sit close to him in case he got scared.)  The show didn't deal too much with aliens, like "The X-FIles" did, but it still had some wild stuff on there. 

Darren McGavin also appeared in several episodes of "Murphy Brown" as Murphy's father.  McGavin won an Emmy in 1990 for his portrayal of yet another rough, but loving father. 

People might not remember Darren McGavin as the star of "Mike Hammer" or "The Night Stalker" but they will be quick to say they know him as Ralphie's father in "A Christmas Story." One of my favorite scenes featuring McGavin is when Ralphie's father is a "major prize winner" in a contest, and wins a lamp made like a shapely woman's leg, complete with fishnet stockings.  When Ralphie's dad was opening the crate that contained his major prize, he saw the word "fragile" stamped on the crate, and pronouced the word "frah-gee-lay", and said it must have been imported from Italy.  Thanks to you, Darren, we'll never look at the word "fragile" the same way again. 

 

Farewell, Don Knotts

I was sad to read last night that our beloved Don Knotts has died.  He was 81 years old.  He passed away Friday night from pulmonary and respiratory complications.  Knotts' longtime friend Andy Griffith was at his bedside when he died.  "Don was a small man, but everything else about him was large: his mind, his expressions," Griffith told The Associated Press on Saturday. "Don was special. There's nobody like him. I loved him very much," Griffith added. "We had a long and wonderful life together."

Don Knotts will be forever known for playing Deputy Barney Fife on the still-popular "Andy Griffith Show." He won an astounding five Emmy awards for his portrayal of  Barney Fife, probably the most popular character on the show.  The show ran from 1960-68, and was in the top 10 of the Nielsen ratings each season, including a No. 1 ranking its final year. It is one of only three series in TV history to bow out at the top: The others are "I Love Lucy" and "Seinfeld." The 249 episodes still appear in reruns and have spawned a large, active network of fan clubs.

As the bug-eyed deputy to Griffith, Knotts carried in his shirt pocket the one bullet he was allowed after shooting himself in the foot. He was constantly fumbling with his one bullet, often dropping it while trying to load his gun.  How can we ever forget one of Barney's classic lines "Nip it, nip it in the bud"?

Knotts, whose shy, soft-spoken manner was unlike his high-strung characters, once said he was most proud of the Fife character and doesn't mind being remembered that way.  We'll always remember him that way, too.  Knotts said his favorite episodes, were "The Pickle Story," where Aunt Bee makes pickles no one can eat, and "Barney and the Choir," where no one can stop him from singing.  One of my favorite Barney episodes is "Mountain Wedding", where Barney dresses up in a white lace wedding gown in an attempt to fool Enest T. Bass.

You'll be missed, Don Knotts.  But as long as we're able to watch you with Andy, your memory will live on. 

Link Of The Week

My Grandfather said that the only regrets you have in life should be the things you didn't do.  I agree with him.  I regret that I'm not down in New Orleans right now enjoying Mardi Gras. I want to go one time before I'm too old to enjoy it.  I want to wear so many beads that I look like Mr. T.  But it you're like me and can't get down to Bourbon Street this year, never fear - there's a way that we can still be a part of the action.  Just go to http://www.nola.com/bourbocam/classic/index.ssf.  You can watch all of the action on Bourbon Street from a web cam.  The pictures are updated every 20 seconds.  You'd be surprised at the sights you'll see.  If you get tired of watching Bourbon Street, at the bottom of the page are links to other web cams catching all of the live action at Mardi Gras.

Get Well Soon, Sheryl Crow

I was shocked this morning when I read that my favorite female rocker Sheryl Crow had surgery this week for breast cancer.  I had no idea.  The only thing we've heard about Sheryl in the past few weeks was about her break-up with Lance Armstrong, another cancer survivor.  February has sure been a sucky month for Sheryl, hasn't it?  You can't get much more hardcore than that - you split up with your fiance and then a couple of weeks later you're diagnosed with breast cancer.  But Sheryl is thankful, and we are too, that they caught it early through self-examination, and she is expected to make a full recovery.  She's cancelling her current tour and will undergo radiation treatments as a precaution.

Sheryl had this to say on her website yesterday:

“Approximately 1 in 7 American women will be diagnosed with breast cancer in their lifetime and more than 2 million American are living with breast cancer today. I am joining the more than 200,000 women who will be diagnosed with breast cancer this year.

We are a testament to the importance of early detection and new treatments. I encourage all women everywhere to advocate for themselves and for their future – see your doctor and be proactive about your health.

More than 10 million Americans are living with cancer, and they demonstrate the ever-increasing possibility of living beyond cancer. I am inspired by the brave women who have faced this battle before me and grateful for the
support of family and friends.”

I have a whole new respect for Sheryl Crow.  She's been one of my favorites since she first came on the scene with her first album "Tuesday Night Music Club", back in 1993.  I love her music, and especially admire her because she plays the guitar instead of just holding it as a prop like some music stars do.  I am eating a big serving of humble pie right now, and would like to publicly say that I forgive you, Sheryl Crow, for the baseball bat  incident before your last concert here in Louisville 3 years ago. I've held a major grudge and haven't liked you very much as a person since then, even though I did continue to buy your music and liked you as a musician.  I'm sure you had your reasons for not wanting to talk to me and a few other fans that day when I gave you your personalized Louisville Slugger baseball bat.  But I let that go now, and I'm sorry.  So Sheryl, TWIT wishes you all the best, and you will be in our thoughts and prayers as you continue your treatment.  You still rock.

Poor, Poor PATs

I just spent several hours observing teenagers hanging out at a local mall. I came to the conclusion many teenagers in America today are living in poverty. Most young men I observed didn't even own a belt; there was not one among the whole group.

But that wasn't the sad part. Many were wearing their daddy's jeans. Some jeans were so big and baggy they hung low on their hips, exposing their underwear. I know some must have been ashamed their daddy was short, because his jeans hardly went below their knees. They weren't even their daddies' good jeans, for most had holes ripped in the knees and looked like they hadn't been washed in months.

It grieved me, in a modern, affluent society like America, there are those who can't afford a decent pair of jeans. I was thinking about asking my church to start a jeans drive for "poor kids at the mall." Then on Christmas Eve, we could go Christmas caroling and distribute jeans to these poor teenagers.

But here is the saddest part...it was the girls they were hanging out with that disturbed me most. Never, in all of my days, have I seen such poverty-stricken girls. These girls had the opposite problem of the guys. They all had to wear their little sister's clothes. Their jeans were about 5 sizes too small! I don't know how they could get them on, let alone button them up. Their jeans barely went over their hip bones. Most also had
on their little sister's top; it hardly covered their midsections. Oh, they were trying to hold their heads up with pride, but it was a sad sight to see these almost grown women wearing children's clothes.

However, it was their underwear that bothered me most. They, like the boys, because of the improper fitting of their clothes, they had their underwear exposed. I had never seen anything like it. It looked like their underwear was only held together by a single piece of string.

I know it saddens your heart to receive this report on condition of our American teenagers. While we go to bed every night with a closets full of clothes nearby, there are millions of "mall girls" who barely have enough material to keep it together. We think their "poorness" is why these two groups gather at the mall; boys with their short daddies' ripped jeans, and girls wearing their younger sisters' clothes. Themall is one place where they can find acceptance. So, next time you are at the mall, doing
your shopping , and you pass by some of these poor teenagers, would you say a prayer for them?

And one more thing . Will you pray the guys' pants won't fall down, and the girls' strings won't break?